Red And White
by LeftMeSpeechless
Summary: Someone broke in one of the Nara laboratories and stole sensible data. Tsunade sent Crow and his ANBU team after them, to get the data back. Minor AU, KakaIru, GenRai, much violence and blood, no lemons, can be set after second Mizuki Filler
1. Chapter 1

**Beloved Beta****s**: Thea Blackthorn and Meygal

Written for this prompt the LJ community KakaIru_fest and this prompt:

**Genre:** AU,Angst

**Three things that can be included:** katana, ANBU mask, a handkerchief

**Scenario:** Iruka is secretly an ANBU posing as a school teacher. As ANBU, he has a more serious personality. He goes on a mission gone awry and Kakashi catches him. Bonus Genma/Raidou on the side.

**Summary**: Someone broke in one of the Nara laboratories and stole sensible data. Tsunade sent Crow and his ANBU team after them, to get the data back. Who would be interested in the data? On the way they are ambushed, was it all just a trap? Minor AU, KakaIru, GenRai, much violence and blood, no lemons

**Warnings**: violence, homosexual relationship

**Disclaimer**: All characters and background don't belong to me and there was no profit made from this!

**Author's Notes:** Thanks so much to my betas and tellytubby101 for the support! There is no way I could have done this without their help.

Dear reader, please review! If you read this and liked it review, tell me what was good and what wasn't - that's the only way for me to improve!

**Red And White**

It was early afternoon; the leaves were restless in the breeze that already held a chill. The sun hid behind fast, low moving clouds, the first storms would come soon. But the leaves were still green here; a few starting to turn yellow, but it would take more than four weeks before the green had to truly give way to the bright yellows and orange and browns of the autumn foliage. The air was filled with misty rain, the little dripping noises of water falling from the dark green and glistening leaves to the ground below.

Three ANBU moved through the forest almost soundlessly, their bodies hidden by billowing black cloaks, their faces by white porcelain masks. Their speed blurred their forms in the dappled light and shadow of the trees. The white porcelain almost glowed in the twilight of the rainy day; the bright red and blue markings displayed the stoic faces of the animals they were named after, there was an eerie contrast between those bright masks and the dull, dripping forest under a leaden sky. The aura surrounding them was solemn and heavy, and their movements had a strange purposeful quality.

The leader of the group eyed his companions; he could see the growing tension in them. They had noticed it too. He closed the distance between himself and Lizard, flashing carefully hidden hand signs,

"_Two - at five o'clock._"

Lizard didn't even pause for a split second in his strides, offering a silent nod in acknowledgement. Crow fell back on his original position between the other two. His gaze met Sparrow's for a second. The younger ANBU was just waiting for him to give an order.

Crow smiled beneath his mask and increased their speed again. This detour would bring them further away from the target they had carefully monitored for the last three days, but they couldn't allow anyone to get at their backs, when the enemy already outnumbered them.

It was too early for back up. They had sent the messenger that would inform Tsunade about the plot barely ten hours ago.

The bird with the message wouldn't have reached the Hokage yet.

That meant that the chance that their pursuers were friendly was pretty slim. He would give it another five minutes and try to shake them of their tail, if that didn't work he would have no other choice than to deal with them. This could cost them the whole mission, especially if they had to waste too much chakra or were not quiet enough, giving their position away to their targets.

Crow grew tired of wasting both time and chakra. It was time to make a decision. He ordered his team to gather around him, stopping on the broad branch of an ancient beech. He didn't waste any time, closing his eyes in concentration. He was not as sensitive as a trained chakra sensor would be, but he had developed a certain skill with it. He felt his teammates, their chakra felt calm and soothingly familiar to him. He expanded his range to its maximum, but couldn't feel any other developed chakra systems, just a few deer deeper in the thicket. That didn't mean that there were no other shinobi here, but it required a certain skill to hide chakra completely. He opened his eyes again.

Lizard had landed next to him, crouching low and nodding briefly, while Sparrow had landed just above them in the shadow of a few branches. Looking down Sparrow nodded too. They didn't see anyone either, that was good. He relaxed a little, offering a confirming nod too. Crow opened his cloak and motioned with agile fingers.

"_Sparrow, create a shadow clone and send it back. We can't keep running any longer. This is taking too much time and resources already. We will set up an ambush for them."_

Sparrow nodded and stood up on his branch. Lizard stood up, his eyes still roaming over the damp forest, checking for possible places for them to lie in wait. Crow looked back in the direction they had come from but could only see the dark, thick green foliage of late summer. The constant drizzle made tracking difficult, so whoever was after them had to be an expert. He looked up and saw two Sparrows observing their surroundings carefully too. One of them turned to face him now. Crow's gloved hand signalled again.

"_Be careful, they must not see you. Good luck._"

The clone saluted and teleported away silently.

"_Lizard, you take the lead, Sparrow you follow, I'll provide the rear cover. Go!_"

They both gave a sharp nod. Lizards gaze lingered for a moment, before he took off, doing as he was ordered. Crow smiled behind his mask; as much as he hated working with his lover, it was comforting and with Sparrow they were one hell of a team.

They ran for another five minutes, before they found a good spot for an ambush. The presence of their pursuers drew even closer. They had to be very skilled, not only to just keep up with them, but to actually close in. Sparrow and Lizard immediately began to prepare traps, whilst Crow was guarding them. They had hardly begun when Sparrow twitched visibly and looked up. Crow furrowed his brow. If they had found Sparrow's clone, they might be in trouble.

"Your clone?"

"Yes… it released itself. Our pursuers are Hound and Racoon."

Crow closed his mouth behind his mask and Sparrow just shrugged. If he stated it like that, his clone had indeed confirmed their identity. A low groan escaped Crow.

"Oh joy… what a waste."

Lizard chuckled and jumped up, leaning into him for a second.

Crow leaned close as well and whispered, "I'll kill Kakashi for that one… "

"No, you won't. At least, not for something as trivial as wasting our time."

The amusement in Lizard's voice was obvious and Crow considered throwing him off the branch.

"Why didn't they send a message?" Crow grumbled.

"Maybe they have… so you should ask, why didn't we _get_ a message."

Lizard was serious again. Sparrow joined them on the pine-branch they had settled into. Crow regarded him carefully; the tension was evident in his shoulders.

"Are you okay with that, Sparrow? You've tried hard to avoid Hound for the last two weeks."

The bird mask turned towards Crow. He couldn't really see the brown eyes beneath it and the cold blue lines painting the sparrows face swallowed any resemblance to the warm presence the man usually had. Even the shading of his voice seemed to change when he put on the mask.

"There is no problem, taichō. I can handle myself."

Crow nodded but held Sparrow's gaze and, as expected, the other felt obliged to add something. Crow had to know what had happened and if he could safely team them up if needed. Sparrow was well aware of that. They were friends, and he knew that Iruka had had the hot's for the silver-haired Copy Nin for ages, and they had been getting along quite nicely for some time. And then everything seemed to change over night. Iruka had refused to say anything about his reasons for avoiding Kakashi all of a sudden, and that was okay, since it wasn't Genma's business. But the tables had turned and now _Crow_ needed an answer. Sparrow looked away and all but fidgeted under Crow's scrutiny.

"There was no argument, and there is no bad blood between us. I just needed some distance before I fell completely."

Sparrow sighed. His voice had changed into a normal, more familiar tone. He looked at Crow again as he whispered, "Genma, I promise I'll tell you guys when we get back, but it's nothing – at least nothing important. Moreover, he doesn't know who I am and I want it to stay that way."

Crow nodded; that was all he needed to know, and he would feel bad later if he pushed too hard. Beside him he felt Lizard shifting a little, the uneasy feeling had spread.

"Okay, then let's go and meet up with them. We have lost enough time already."

Crow bent his legs and pushed himself of with all he had, hurrying towards the others as fast as they could.

Hound and Racoon had been hurrying after the other ANBU team for almost four hours now, guided by Pakkun, who was familiar with the scent of the team they followed. Iruka's smell was especially fresh in his nose, since he had been teamed up with him and Naruto just three weeks ago, when they followed Mizuki. The pug was quite confident about his sense of smell, even if the conditions were difficult. Added to that, Crow's squad, whom they followed, had been one of the most successful recently, which meant catching up with them easily would have been a surprise.

Pakkun didn't mention to Kakashi that the scent of the third member was fresh in his nose; he was a ninja after all and he was not inclined on breaking crucial ANBU regulations. He kept his mouth shut.

This chase was ridiculous, and Kakashi knew that Crow wouldn't wait much longer before he set up an ambush. He was confident that the others wouldn't blindly kill them, it would be a waste of effort. A low growl escaped him when he saw someone stir in a nearby branch. Pakkun and Racoon reacted immediately, taking higher positions to the left and right of Hound, ready to fight.

A cloaked figure stepped into the open, wearing a mask with sparrow markings. Racoon and Hound relaxed and greeted the other with a short nod. Following protocol Sparrow offered the first part of the sequence in an identification phrase:

"It is the wind in the trees which is only seen by the effect and yet we know the wind is there..."

Kakashi was surprised that the voice of this ANBU sounded familiar. He was sure he had never worked with him before. He was ready to answer, when Racoon beat him to it and recited the second part of the poem.

"...it is the breeze which rustles the leaves that gives me hope."

Kakashi watched the figure closely; the wet cloak clung to the other ANBU. He was of average height and build, and there were no distinct traits that might have been revealing.

Sparrow came closer and settled on the branch they occupied. Kakashi took the initiative this time and spoke up.

"I'm glad you found us, Sparrow. We were sent as back up. Inoichi-san was able to get some information from the `_victim`_. Where is the rest of your team?"

Sparrow revealed his gloved hand so he could sign the message. Kakashi was not surprised to see this reaction, it seemed he did know him, and whoever hid behind the mask was concerned he might recognize his voice.

"_We ran into a group of Missing Nin once already, it seems someone is willing to pay a generous bounty for living Konoha ANBU. I'll let the others know it's you. Proceed; we will meet you half way._"

Kakashi nodded and was not surprised when the clone formed seals and released itself. He looked over to Racoon and nodded, and they were on their way again, hurrying towards the others.

They met on a small hill, Crow already waiting for them under the wide branches of a tree, the other two keeping to the background. Kakashi was glad that it was Crow he would work with. There were few ANBU still on active duty longer than he had been. He appreciated the calm lead Crow always took with his teams.

Kakashi could almost see the confident smirk of the older man when he greeted them. A single gesture was enough to send Sparrow and Lizard back into the trees to secure the area.

"Hound, Racoon."

"Nice chase, Crow. You almost got away… Pakkun had a hard time tracking you." The pug shot Hound a dirty look.

"I'll take my leave then, since you found your playmates, _Hound_." Both men looked down and smiled at the gruff reply.

"Thanks, Pakkun." The dog nodded before he vanished in a small cloud of smoke.

"Seems we aren't good enough then …" Crow's smile was evident in his voice as was his relief that they had received reinforcements instead of being pursued by some bounty hunters.

Hound seemed to remember his orders at that moment and switched into mission mode. He straightened up.

"Hound and Racoon reporting in. We were sent to pass on information and act as reinforcements under your command. The new objective is to gather information about the whole incident and if possible apprehend one foe for further interrogation. The message that should have announced our arrival didn't reach you, I presume."

"No. And that is what is bothering me. We were led all the way here and then someone intercepts our messages? Our problem might be bigger than we originally thought…"

"I guess so. Ibiki and Inoichi-san _convinced_ Nara Tomoko to tell them about the incident. She was involved in the plan, but was deceived and left behind by her partners. She was approached by some Iwa rogues three weeks ago. Their objective was to create a case that would require ANBU attention. We don't know for what purpose though."

"Ah, we figured as much already." Crow took out a crumpled piece of paper and handed it over to them. It was a flyer that promised a reasonable reward for a living Konoha ANBU.

Hound and Racoon read it twice before they looked back up.

Crow continued, "Near the village at the edge of the forest, we ran into a gang of Nuke-nin. They _told_ us that there was a bounty on our heads. Someone is willing to pay quite a sum for ANBU. Whatever they want - this is dangerous. That group back there were no match for us at all, but there are others."

Kakashi and Tenzō nodded. Crow took back the flyer.

"Their plan, apparently, is to lure some ANBU out for capture, and likely steal anything that would pay off as an added bonus. Considering the effort and the risk they've taken by entering Konoha directly, they seem to be pretty self-confident. We have to expect a good trap at the end of the line. I hope they didn't expect us to come unknowingly."

Crow gave them a moment to contemplate while he looked for Lizard and Sparrow, but they were not to be seen anywhere nearby. He took out a map and showed them to Hound and Racoon.

"In any case, there is a small settlement approximately here. It's just two residences and a third structure which serves as a shed for tools and as warehouse. The residents usually visit the village once every two weeks. They were overdue, and all the other leads have pointed to this area."

The map had good detail on the houses and the surrounding area. There were even spots marked where a look-out could be placed. Kakashi inclined his head. The neat hand writing seemed oddly familiar.

"You were already there?"

"No, Sparrow's summons did the recon."

Kakashi nodded but seemed not to be satisfied with that answer.

"Do you have an idea how many enemies there are?"

"We expect twelve. Most of them are well above Chuunin level."

"Wow, that would be a large group. What do you mean when you say most?"

"We counted at least six of Jounin-level, and considering the reputation of Konoha's ANBU, that seems reasonable."

Hound just nodded and rolled his shoulders. That would be tough, he was glad that Tsunade had sent them as reinforcements now.

"This won't be a picnic," Kakashi stated flatly.

"No, it won't," Crow replied dryly.

Racoon stepped into the conversation again. "How do you want to proceed?"

"We were on our way there, when we noticed you guys coming after us. As you can see we took a detour. I think it will take us about an hour to get there, depending on the terrain. For the finer details we will wait till we are there." He looked up and Hound and Racoon nodded their agreement.

They had worked with Genma and Raidō a lot over the years and not just in ANBU, so they had a good idea of what to expect anyway.

The five ANBU settled into a tree just outside the direct vicinity of the northern look out. Sparrow had summoned a few waxwings that were scouting the area and guiding them through the enemies' traps undetected. The thick black band that reached from their beaks to the back of their delicate heads, reminded Kakashi of a mask covering their faces. It gave them a rather bold appearance.

The birds blended in to the scenery perfectly, keeping the guard distracted by chirping and chattering in a nearby tree, fighting loudly over the fruits that were left in the branches. It was a little bit unnerving to see these summonses act just like normal birds did. When Sparrow had called them, they immediately flew up on a branch sitting frighteningly still, their attention fixed on their master, while simultaneously regarding the surroundings with their unmoving bird eyes. Sparrow had a superb spy network on his hands with these little buggers.

Kakashi eyed the man again. At the moment he knelt next to Crow discussing their course of action under their breaths. The waxwing sitting on Sparrow's shoulder talked in a surprisingly low voice, offering details every now and then to the two ANBU.

Crow turned towards them and signalled.

"_Sparrow and I will advance and take care of the guard. Follow us as back up. Lizard takes the lead._"

Kakashi felt Lizard twitch next to him, but he kept quiet and dutifully nodded just as he and Racoon had. Hound really wanted to see Sparrow in action. He had heard about him. Rumour had it that he was a competent profiler and tactician and had a rather wicked aim, but Kakashi had never had a chance to work with Sparrow before. With these summons he could see why; they filled the same position when it came to reconnaissance.

The departure of the waxwing stirred Kakashi from his train of thought. The bird was taking a clever detour before he joined the flock again. Sparrow followed the progress of the bird with binoculars and gave a signal to them.

Kakashi prepared himself to move out, waiting for Raidō to take the lead. Racoon had also picked up Lizard's reaction and asked him a question:

"Is there anything we should know beforehand?"

"No, I don't think we need to worry, they always pull this stunt and get away with it."

A slender silver eyebrow raised behind the Hound mask. Kakashi's eyes had never left their team mates advancing to their posts.

"You don't seem to consent with whatever they are doing?"

"No. Don't get me wrong here, Racoon, I have confidence in them and their strategy is uncommon and deadly efficient, but I would prefer it if they would resort to less risky tactics. We need to follow now. Spread out, I'll take the centre position - Hound left, Racoon right, keep in line."

They nodded and Lizard gave the command to go. Kakashi took his position and synchronized his moves with the others. They worked together easily and reached a position fifty metres behind Sparrow and Crow, who found cover near the look out.

Crow took out two senbon and positioned himself behind Sparrow. And then they waited. Kakashi didn't really know what they waited for. He couldn't think of any jutsu that would need Crow to threaten Sparrow with his senbon. The whole scene was heavy with tension and Kakashi held his breath.

Crow raised his arms, his black cloak made it look like he had grown wings like his namesake. Kakashi still saw the slightly smaller frame of Sparrow, obviously in deep concentration. Suddenly the senbon sped down into Sparrow's neck. Kakashi's eyes widened, there was no way Crow could stop the motion; it was too fast. Kakashi saw the small halt when the needles pierced flesh and the figure before Crow collapsed. What the hell was that?

His eyes went up and he saw Sparrow now standing in the look out, the waxwings settled around and on him and Crow stepping to the side giving them the signal to regroup.

Kakashi's gaze jerked around to Lizard, the tall man had already jumped down the tree running towards his lover. Racoon on the other hand met his gaze and signalled_, _

_"What the fuck?"_

Kakashi just shook his head and shrugged.

Crow searched the body before the others reached him. Racoon didn't waste time.

"What was that?"

Crow looked up from his kneeling position. "What was what?"

"That manoeuvre." Racoon made a vague gesture towards Crow and the body.

"Body switch."

The question loomed among them. Crow obviously didn't bother to elaborate; Lizard sighed and answered in his stead.

.

"Sparrow is a master of _Kawarimi_. They trained hard to the extent that he can switch his position with people too. It was a lot of hard work, but it paid off."

Kakashi nodded. Replacing living things was hard. Living plants were tricky and it took a lot of effort to replace them, even with a potted petunia, but humans were a whole different level. His respect for Sparrow just went up a notch. He fixed his gaze on Crow again.

"And you stand behind him to strike the enemy down in a surprise attack, before they even know what's happened. The senbon are poisoned I presume?"

"Yes. Most of the times it's flawless, fast and clean."

"Impressive." Kakashi searched for Sparrow who was jogging towards them accompanied by one of his summons again. "Does the target need to be surprised?"

Crow looked in the direction of Sparrow too.

"Not necessarily, but it's easier that way."

Kakashi watched Sparrow come closer. The man didn't give away anything by his gait or habits. His whole demeanour was blank as all ANBU should be, especially the ones that were trained for reconnaissance and infiltration. Sparrow was really good at it.

His mind made a full stop, he was not even meant to think about things like that, but Sparrow just made him curious. Crow's low chuckle drove his attention back.

"You won't find out, Hound. Give it a rest."

Kakashi raised his hand and rubbed the back of his cloaked neck. "Right."


	2. Chapter 2

The silent ANBU were perched in the trees near the clearing, hidden behind the swaying branches. Heavy rain poured down on the low pitched, dark roofs of the two houses. They were made completely of dark wood, in the traditional manner of the Fire country.

A clear stream gurgled happily between the two buildings. After all the rain of the last few days the water threatened to wash away the small bridge.

Another waxwing joined them and immediately vanished under Sparrow's hood. The bird reported to Crow and Sparrow. It took them a while to debrief the animal. When the birds were finally released the small group surrounded Crow again, who took another look at the map before he began to speak.

"The bigger house is empty, the inhabitants taken prisoner. Most of them are tied up in the shed on this side. That would be five adults and most of the children. Three children were taken to the artisan's house and are being kept there.

There are two guards patrolling the area, they keep in touch with the other guards, and switch places with them every once in a while. The stationary guards are at the shed, the front door of the smaller house, and two are at the look-outs. One of the outer sentries we already neutralized, that leaves five." Crow paused to gather his thoughts.

"The weather is on our side here; with this downpour it is highly improbable they will hear an alarm and the patrolling guards will be more likely under the porch with a partner."

The four men nodded sharply.

"This glass blower is known for crafting wind chimes, the birds told us there were quite a few of them all over the place, so we can't rely on hearing too much, since the chimes make a constant noise in this weather. But - they can't either."

He paused and gazed around. His team was in deep concentration looking onto the map again.

"We will split up. Racoon, you will accompany Lizard to deal with the guards. No survivors no prisoners. Understood?"

"Yes," Lizard and Racoon answered in unison.

"Good. We will try to take prisoners in the main house, if we can do it safely. Ibiki will want to have a tea and cookies with them. The head of all of this, according to the recon, is a blue-haired woman. Her second is a burly guy. He wears shades and has a tattoo at the base of his skull. Focus on those two, we want to bring them in for interrogation. All of them are high level shinobi, so be prepared to face resistance."

"What about freeing the hostages?" Racoon asked.

"They have been held captive for days now, they can handle ten more minutes. Leave them where they are, then we can be sure, they won't get in the way."

Racoon nodded; if he was uncomfortable with the decision he didn't show it, so Crow went on.

"Hound, Sparrow: you are with me. We will take care of the house. The house is divided in two sections. In the front the glass blower has his workspace, in the back there is a living area. They made their camp in the working area, since there is just one entrance in the front, three prisoners are held in the back. There is always someone with them."

They nodded again.

"We will take care of the front guard and then sneak in. The two possible ways in are through the windows, which are crammed with wind chimes, and a water wheel on the side of the building. It has a maintenance shaft that leads inside. This house is partly made of stone to harbour the melting furnace. Both areas are secured. Sparrow, do you feel up to producing another clone?"

"Yes."

Crows gaze turned to Hound, wordlessly asking the same question.

"No problem," Hound answered.

"Then we will enter through both openings. The clones will take the furnace and wait for us to attack through the windows on the opposite side. We will be the decoy, they will hopefully assume us to be decoy clones and turn their attention towards the real clones.

If we will be able to take out at least two of the opponents before we get involved in fighting, that should reduce their number to a level we can handle."

Sparrow and Hound nodded.

"Alright then. Go!"

The unrelenting wind drove the rain harshly into their faces. They hurried through the shadows towards their first goal. Hound had taken Lizard's place, with Crow and Sparrow ready to defend their backs. The Hound had fumbled with the eye-patch that covered the Sharingan behind the mask, while Lizard and Crow had shared a brief touch before the groups parted.

The veranda came into view; there were no windows, just the front door. The edge of the roof was lined with chimes, their long paper slips spinning wildly in the wind. Two women were hidden under the cover of the wide roof. The mesh shirts were visible under their clothes, displaying their battle shaped bodies and wearing their scars like badges of honour. One of them was sitting on the balustrade while the older tried to peer through in the heavy rain.

Crow signalled for Hound to accompany him on the right side, whilst Sparrow would approach from the left. The rain and the engorged stream would make it easy for him to use his water jutsu. He could see the two girls up close now: he would deal with was the one sitting on the balustrade, she was about seventeen. She held one of the papers and read the wish aloud.

"You should stop that, Yuzuki and do your job. We are waiting for Konoha's ANBU to come at us." The older woman's voice held an annoyed tone, "You won't live long enough for your silly wishes to come true if you keep going like this."

"You are no fun, Akiko… they won't be here right now… come on make a wish, too."

The bright, cheerful sound of Yuzuki's voice reminded Iruka of Ino whilst he snuck up to a bush near their position. The clear sound of the wind chimes and Yuzuki's spirited humming masked any sound he might have made.

Whatever wishes these two might have had would be meaningless soon. His hands flew through the seals and he felt his chakra grasp for the water around him. He saw Hound and Crow on the other side taking their positions. He concentrated on the water, tugging it along the chakra frame and waiting for Crow's command.

There it was.

His will pressed the water forward, forcing it into long ribbons shooting towards the girl, wrapping around her wiry body. Yuzuki was too surprised to fight back and now it was too late for her. The young kunoichi's hands were bound immediately and her head was forced back by the ribbons that enclosed her mouth. Sparrow shaped his chakra like a puppeteer, strapping the water tighter around her, covering her whole face with it, cutting of the oxygen, before she even realized what was going on.

He willed another string forward that encircled her slender neck and pressed more water into the ribbons slowly covering her creamy skin leaving fast darkening bruises on her throat. He lowered his head and began pulling even harder at his water threads, pulling it brutally tight around her body, choking her, suffocating her screams and guiding her broken body towards him. She was dead when he carefully released the body and lay it down between the bushes he had hidden in, closing her eyes.

Meanwhile Hound and Crow dealt with their own target swiftly. Hound was there to catch the body, preventing unnecessary noises. From the corner of his eyes he watched the wicked display of Sparrow's merciless jutsu and met the frightened gaze of the young kunoichi.

A group of four shinobi sat around a low table that was littered with money, cigarette stubs, cards and the waxy relics of candles burning down directly onto the table top. They were half-heartedly playing a game, using a battered deck of cards, ignoring the multicoloured glass rods and all the other supplies a glass blower needed, which were constant reminders of the real owner of their current shelter. From the corner of the room an occasional rustling of fabric could be heard, where they knew two people lay sleeping, tucked behind the work benches.

The wall behind them was made of stone; a small fire blazed where the artisan normally melt his glass before he would carefully inflate the red hot blobs until they become the delicate bells or other forms that were displayed in the room. The area had a scattering of pipes and tubes of varying lengths and diameters across it. Cardboard boxes stuffed with mouthpieces, pincers, hammers and an odd assortment of other tools hung from the bare wooden beams that supported the roof. The open space, light wood and the generous windows allowing in broad beams of light held a creative air to it. The colourful yet fragile art work and sketches covered every available surface.

Through the doorway into the artisan's bedroom, three small children were kept squarely in the line of sight. They sat on a futon, staring wide eyed at their captors, not daring to move. A small boy held the remnants of a stuffed doll in a death grip. The toy had been knotted from a white handkerchief that was filled with cotton, but all that was left now was the embroidered face and the sky blue yarn that kept the stuffing of the head in place. With the crumpled and stained fabric that was once attached to that a cheerful face, the thing looked more like a haunted, bloodied spectre than a cuddly toy.

A woman, with bright blue hair that was trying to escape a sloppy ponytail, drew a card from that stack and sorted it into her hand. A low grunt indicated that she was done for her turn and a worn looking man fanned his hand of cards open. Watery blue eyes regarded the cards that were already played and double checked his hand. He kept his crooked nose and his mouth hidden behind the card-fan.

"Oh come on, Shōta. Your cards won't get any better by looking at them again."

The man in the olive undershirt snorted and turned towards his companion, who wore what looked to be a mixture of the standard uniforms of at least three different Shinobi nations.

"Shut it, Naoki," muttered Shōta as he studied his cards again, rearranging them. The woman rolled her eyes and sighed, leaning back on her hands.

"Shōta… play a damned card!" The one called Naoki grumbled. He looked like he was running out of patience, when the fourth player, a big guy with a shaved head, let his shades slip back on his nose. The woman's attention was immediately focused on him.

"They are here." She muttered into her cards, her grey eyes searching those of her partners. The banter of the others had died down instantly.

"I know." He replied, sounding almost bored; he removed the cigarette stub from the corner of his mouth and threw it over to the sleeping figures at the other end of the room.

"Wake up. We have guests."

"_This is too easy._"

Sparrow's clone signalled to his team mates when he was done searching the passage for traps and disarming them. The duct was filled with the steady roar of water and the low wooden groaning of the structure. The traps he had found had been half-arsed at best. It was just too easy; all of his students could do a much better job than that and they were only eight. Considering the level of skill these rogues should have, it was clear that they wanted them to enter.

Hound lay a hand on Sparrow's shoulder to attract the other mans attention before he whispered, "It's okay. If they want us to come in, we should oblige them. They want us alive, so we have the advantage."

Crow nodded and took the initiative, as was expected from the team leader. He held onto the wheel, letting the water pull him up and vanished into the shaft. Sparrow and Hound's clones followed, waiting for their creator's creators to make some ruckus when entering.

It took the originals no time at all to take their positions. Adrenaline rushed through their systems when another gust of wind jangled the chimes again. Sparrow's attention was drawn towards the pure sound of the small bells, and the swaying movements of the artfully decorated slips of paper that were attached to the clappers. The random ringing seemed to shift into a melody when you listened closely. He was mesmerized. His body relaxed, as he lost himself in the sweet song and the flurry of colours that blurred slowly into each other, before they erupted in a swarm of multicoloured butterflies.

Hound's Sharingan began to spin, dispelling the genjutsu that was woven carefully around them. He smirked and touched Crow first, letting a chakra pulse disrupt his flow just enough to bring him back. Crow cringed and needed to struggle for air for a second, before his eyes widened when realization sank in.

"Crow, it's the chimes…"

Crow nodded, not wasting a single heartbeat, and drew his katana. The sharp edge cutting the delicate silk threads of the chimes in one clean sweep, making the fragile glass bells fall and shatter on the floor.

Hound turned to Sparrow, placing the palm of his hand on the other's neck and forcing his chakra into the man. Sparrow tensed and drew a sharp breath, before he nodded.

The two ANBU followed close on their taichō's heels. Hound's fingers flew through the seals of a fire jutsu, breathing small balls of fire towards the windows were the chimes were still swaying gently, weaving their spell. The fire balls erupted in small explosions against the glass. The delicate silk of the chimes was immediately devoured by the flames and the bells burst or crashed to the floor in pieces.

Sparrow drew his katana and jumped in through the window following after Crow. He had barely time to bring the blade up to deflect a barrage of shuriken that hailed down on him.

The sound of splintering wood and glass that rained down on the floor filled the room. The enemies had been expecting them and stood around a low table in the open space close to the front door. The four card-players had just risen from the table, to face the windows. The woman took a last look at her cards and let the three aces slide from her hand with a sigh.

Crow stood with his drawn blade right before them, both parties waiting for the subtle movement that would set the inevitable fight into motion. The woman smirked confidently.

"I presume you didn't come to play cards, Leaf."

Her voice was full of calm self assurance. Crow stood completely still, silently regarding them when he felt Sparrow take position at his right side. Hound remained in the frame of the blackened window.

The big bespectacled man sighed dramatically. "As I told you, Aoi. Leafs are no fun at all."

Crow quickly took stock of rest of the situation. Two more enemies stood in the back of the room. A woman in a crumpled yukata yawned in a deliberately casual manner, a naginata already in her hand. The man next to her stretched his back just as casually, his rumpled black hair evidence that they both must have been resting just a moment ago.

Crow caught a glimpse of the children through the open door; they had thrown themselves on the ground, hiding under a thin blanket.

The blue haired woman was about to reply when a second detonation alongside the chirping sound of Kakashi's Chidori cut her off. Their clones had taken this moment to make their own entry.

Crow didn't even flinch and used the diversion to put his poisoned senbon to good use. The two shinobi in the back dove behind the heavy work benches they had slept behind, facing the gaping hole in the wall that their clones had created. They were easy targets for the ANBU. His needles sank deep into the flesh of the black-haired man's neck, his wide sleeves hiding whatever his weapon had been. His hand went up in reflex touching the steel needle before his body went rigid and collapsed to the floor.

The woman dodged the needle just in time; all it did was scrape her cheek. She looked his way with a disbelieving scowl, before she slowly slid down, supported by a wooden beam. Crow knew that would not be enough to kill her, but it would do its job and take her out of the picture for now.

The groups broke up.

Sparrow had intercepted the lean man with the crooked nose before he could reach Crow. The bald giant hurried towards the clones, while Kakashi was bound in a fast taijutsu fight with a guy wearing a flak vest from Sand over what looked like a uniform shirt from Stone and sandals and pants from Mist. The woman stayed in the background her hands forming seals, in an unusual clam shape.

The clones didn't last long under the assault of the tattooed leader of the group. Crow had the opportunity to watch him eliminate the clones with an earth jutsu. Sharp spikes appeared where they stood and piercing them through, causing them to puff out of existence. The spikes had grown faster than he had ever seen before and reached right up to touch the roof, without harming the wooden beams that supported the structure. But Crow had no time to marvel over the target's handiwork, when the man turned towards the ANBU leader with a confident smirk.

Meanwhile, Aoi finished her jutsu and pressed her palm to a spot on the floor. A blue light flashed in the corners of the house, slowly creeping over the walls, coating them with a dim blue glow.

Crow lowered his head and smiled. This, finally, was their trap, but it had yet to be decided who would benefit from the barrier.

Sparrow was engaged in a hand-to-hand fight with a man wearing just an undershirt over his mesh shirt and camouflage cargo pants. Fine scars littered his bare arms in such a regular manner that Sparrow wondered if they were self inflicted, or due to a special technique. His movements were fast and fluid; in each hand he held a slender double edged dagger.

Sparrow dodged two fast attacks, keeping the other away from him. The short blades, and his physique, made it clear that his greatest asset was his speed. Sparrow wasn't green enough to let him make more than two attacks to assess him.

The ANBU easily parried the quick stabs that followed. They were aimed for his outer thighs; it seemed the other knew where the weak points in their ANBU armour were. Sparrow wouldn't have that, his brows furrowed and he dropped his head a fraction. He wielded the longer weapon; the other needed to by-pass his sword before he could actually harm him. He made a few experimental swipes at his target, carefully avoiding any openings, always keeping the blade between them.

The other was keen on avoiding his blade too; speed was his biggest asset, so any injury that would hamper him and would give Sparrow an advantage, which was something that needed to be avoided.

The Sparrow threw himself forward, pushing the other onto the defensive. The blonde nin seemed to be playing for time, drawing out the fight, relying on the belief that he had the higher stamina.

Sparrow took in the scene around him, making note of their surroundings. With every jump the other nin took, they came closer and closer to the heavy work benches. Maybe he wasn't drawing out their fight? The surface of the massive tables was stained with shiny glass blotches, where small blotches the molten glass had dropped on the tabletop and burnt into the surface.

He carefully watched his opponent's eyes, waiting for the moment his attention shifted for even a split-second; the other nin would reveal his goal by searching it out with his eyes. Sparrow moved forward in another attack, stepping onto a long, slender piece of glass. The smirk that tilted his lips stayed hidden under his mask, as he channelled a little chakra into his foot and attached the shard to it.

Sparrow's next attack was a feint, from the left, followed swiftly by a kick from the right. The other jumped back and smirked. It seemed he had reached his destination; he raised his arm to throw one of his blades at Sparrow.

Sparrow was able to dodge it and dipped into a low crouch, sweeping his leg out towards the blonde and letting the shard fly. The clear splinter pierced the target's forearm. The other grunted and spared him an irked look, before he jumped up onto a wooden beam that was part of the structure that supported the roof.

Sparrow didn't intend to let him get away, or to give him the time to set off his trap. In a single clean movement he took out some shuriken and threw them at the enemy shinobi. The rogue was forced to stop his jutsu midway and tumble along the wooden beam to avoid the sharp projectiles that flew his way. When Sparrow had launched the last shuriken he began to rapidly form seals of his own. The other followed suit and finished first, but no visible effect could be seen.

Sparrow didn't hesitate and the blond man had to avoid a sharp jet of water the ANBU shot at him, which washed harmlessly over the wood and crashed against the wall. But it was already too late to prevent him using his jutsu.

From the higher vantage point, the other nin had already attached chakra strings to various glass rods, neatly placed in what looked like old sake-barrels. With a small tug on those strings, the rods were pulled out of those barrels and hovered in front of Sparrow, blocking the way to his target.

Sparrow cursed silently.

"What now, birdie?"

Sparrow was far beyond taunts. He had found his cold centre, his face as stoic as his mask, all he felt at the moment was the blood pumping through his body.

The rods began to move; they came at him from various directions, making it difficult to evade them in the confined space in this part of the work shop. The rods on the right side, controlled by the hand the shard had grazed, were a tad slower and less precise than the others. Sparrow needed more space if he had to evade those rods.

He sheathed his katana and jumped up onto the work bench, dodging a deep red and cobalt glass rod that pinned his cloak to the table instead. He slipped away on the glazed surface and twisted like a cat to land on his feet and hands, and not on his ass. He was already opening his cloak with his free hand to regain his freedom, but he couldn't dodge the two glass rods that sped towards his back. Most of the impact was absorbed by his armour, but where the inflexible material met his unprotected flesh at his lower back he felt the skin split and bleed.

Shōta was gracefully moving his hands, almost like a conductor would in front of his orchestra. He snickered and the tone in his voice made it clear the he felt superior to the ANBU.

"Who would have guessed that the Sparrow had the qualities of a cat?"

The intense pain drove tears into his eyes. Panting, Sparrow grabbed the lid of a big rectangular box to deflect the next rods, two of them shattered half way and produced wicked looking spikes.

He'd had enough of this already; he drew two kunai, deflecting the rods quickly from there coarse. Sparrow tried to close the distance between them, or at least get up onto the roof frame as well, where it would be more difficult for the blonde nin to manoeuvre his damn rods, but all attempts failed. While the front line kept attacking him, he had a second line of four rods to keep him at bay if he dared get closer. Sparrow landed on the table again, panting and glowering at his opponent. He already sported a few darkening bruises on his bare arms. The other man chuckled, before he said,

"What is it, birdie? Giving up already? I guess you'll make a nice stuffed chicken on my sticks."

Sparrow couldn't help but admire the technique, and the fact that it got more deadly with every deflected and shattered rod. Sparrow considered the puppeteer's weaknesses; maybe he was prone to every puppeteer's worst fear: tangled strings.

When the next volley of attacks rained down on him, he tried to lure the other nin into crossing the chakra threads. Sparrow sensed his chance and dove forward again, ignoring two of the defensive rods that hit him; they wouldn't leave much more than circular bruises. The colour coding of the rods made it easier to grasp the pattern the blond haired shinobi was using and he dodged or deflected as needed. It seemed to be working, while the nin moved through them, their movements grew slower, and a few of the shiny weapons even stopped in mid air. A good puppeteer, which he obviously was, could disentangle them of course, but it would take a little time.

Sparrow threw a kunai that was deflected by a bright yellow rod. It was all the opening he would get. With lightning speed, he grabbed a bright green rod, summoned lightning chakra into his palm and pushed it into the chakra thread.

The puppeteer's eyes widened as the lightning hit him and the connection broke. The hit had numbed the blond nin's hands for sure; at least, that was what Sparrow had hoped when he took a hit from a purple spiked rod.

His opponent cackled with glee when the glass pierced his leg. Cold brown eyes settled on the rogue and the Sparrow ANBU moved with his full speed.

The cackle of laughter died away in an instant. The masked figure stood before the enemy nin, shattering the green rod the blond man still held in his hands against his body, before kicking him in the groin. A gloved hand grabbed the rogue's face and smashed his head into the wooden beam behind him.

Sparrow felt the nasal bones give way under his palm with a sickening jolt, the claws of his glove's biting into the enemy's scalp, while he pinned the limp puppeteer to the beam. The ANBU panted, drawing a kunai and throwing it lightly into the air and in a sweeping move catching the handle and using the momentum to drive the blackened steel deep into the exposed neck of the puppeteer. It lodged into the wood of the beam as it severed the enemy shinobi's spine. Sparrow waited a moment before he retrieved the kunai and turned towards the battle below, ignoring the crumpled corpse beside him.

The big man lay on the floor; Sparrow could see his tattooed neck. The contorted form of Hound's opponent was not far away from the big man. His companions were facing the last standing member of the group. The woman had a shallow cut under her left eye, but that didn't remove the smirk from her face. Sparrow meant to jump down to join them, but a sharp pain surprised him and made him stumble forward catching himself halfway and managing to land properly, before he lost his balance and fell on the laceration on his lower back. Sparrow swore silently when he saw the purple rod still buried in his leg. He had completely forgotten about it.

He held his breath, biting his lips to repress any sound, and pulled it out, pressing his hand on the wound. A little chakra stopped the bleeding and the adrenaline dulled the pain, for now. From his position he couldn't see what was happening between the others, but the silence and the strange howling that began, didn't bode well. He had to hurry.

The blue haired woman finished her seals at the moment her wind clones had been taken down. The air in the room began to move. Within moments she created a vortex with her chakra, spinning in the centre of the room. The first gust of wind rose dust and splinters from the floor, blowing them towards the threatening ANBU.

She directed the current over the whole room, picking up the debris; most of it was glass shards and splinters, a few stray shuriken and papers. She concentrated and tightened the vortex around herself, building up a cocoon of whirling shards. Crow and Hound watched the process but couldn't make it to her in time, and now crossing that line towards her would be as smart as placing a hand in a cage with starving ferrets.

She jumped forward, using the vertical roll of debris that followed her as shield and weapon. Hound swore and barely dodged her attack, but her attention was on Crow. A tendril of wind shot towards him, but he managed to avoid a direct hit to his abdomen, catching it in the shoulder instead. The tendril bit into his armour like a drill, tearing a deep wound into the flesh. Crow stumbled forward and collapsed on the ground.

Hound's eyes widened in shock; he thought, this thing could not make contact in such a manner. She grinned wickedly, now approaching him, destroying anything in her wake. The air seemed to hinder her movements, what made her lose speed. He drew his father's tantō and channelled his chakra into it; with a bit of luck he could at least defend himself with it until he came up with another plan.

Sparrow stood up and saw Hound dodging the successive attacks of the wind tendrils threaded with sharp debris. His agile body was bending and twisting in graceful, well balanced movements, deflecting or lashing out with his white glowing tantō. Sparrow was horrified; he had never seen anything like this before.

The kunoichi tried to corner Hound, but he managed to escape her by a hair's-breadth. The outer rim of her jutsu tore a bleeding wound in his arm. He was panting heavily, but while she turned he was out of her reach for a few seconds.

On pure instinct his hands flew through seals. How unlucky for her that he had the right elemental affinity against her wind. When he finished the seals the chakra turned into a huge lightning dragon. Now all he could do was hope that the level of the lightning dragon would be enough to break her wind vortex. The beast was opening his sizzling jaws and dove down onto her wind cocoon, his white fangs tearing at the element and ripping away huge parts like dry cotton candy. She jumped back and began to handle the jutsu like a normal opponent, attacking it with the tendrils. The wind's weakness against lightning was more than compensated for by the secondary effect of it - the pure mechanical damage that it imposed on its target. Kakashi saw his jutsu being mauled away bit by bit by this wicked thing.

Sparrow landed in a crouch next to Hound. The younger man panting heavily and looking pretty torn up on first glance with the mass of bruising and torn clothes. The missing cloak revealed a messy ponytail at the back of the man's head. Hound gave him a quick once over with the Sharingan, the tomoe spinning slowly. The black cloth of his pants hid two wounds on Sparrow's legs. Hound could see chakra seeping out of him with each spurt of blood. Sparrow wouldn't last much longer either, they needed to end it now.

"Hound, I'll get her for you. End it. If you still have something up your sleeve to disturb that chakra flow around her again, now would be the right moment to use it!"

Brown hair framed the white mask when Sparrow sought his gaze. Hound nodded, it was their best shot. He slipped a hand into his pouch, palming a tagged kunai. Sparrow took a steadying breath and got to his feet. They were running out of time.

Sparrow concentrated and fixed his eyes on the target, while Hound took a ready stance beside him, the kunai in one hand waiting for his partner's go-ahead. As she still dealt with the lightning dragon, Hound threw the tagged kunai.

Sparrow didn't hesitate, he concentrated his chakra flow, summoning all the energy he had left and flew through the seals. That was the moment Hound had waited for: he had hoped the kunai would be caught by the air current, circling her with the other rubble.

Hound released the seal and a massive discharge exploded right next to her, tearing a big hole in her steady chakra stream.

That was the moment Sparrow finished his jutsu, this time adding the vocal components and connecting his chakra with hers, tugging at her body with all his determination. He felt the kunoichi resisting and just tugged harder. For one heartbeat everything around him came to a halt; they were in a stalemate. The first to falter would lose. That wouldn't be Sparrow though, for his face was a mask of determination and then he felt her falter and the familiar slip when they changed places.

Hound felt a short moment how time slipped by, the Chidori tingling in his palm and then after two agonizing heartbeats the Sharingan saw the familiar chakra slip away. His muscles tensed, his hand rushing forward, connecting with the body in front of him. The smell of ozone mixed with the sharp tang of blood. He heard her take a final surprised gasp, before she went limp and collapsed. A second later the faint blue glow that had bathed the whole scene, vanished and a barrage of shards and rubble hit him, piercing his arms and legs.

Sparrow stood panting in the place where the woman had been just a moment earlier. The vortex had dissolved the moment she had been replaced. The debris, no longer caught in the vortex bound by her chakra; centrifugal force kicked in, hurling everything at the walls. The whole room was torn apart. Shards of glass stuck in the wood and even in the stone walls, all the furniture was broken, the windows shatter, the blinds beyond repair.

Sparrow shook his head trying to blink away the dizziness and the dark spots that danced in front of his eyes. He had a hard time just standing now that the tension gradually slipped away. He looked over to Hound, who was lowering the body of the woman to the floor. In the other corner Crow stumbled to his feet, his right arm hanging limply at his side. Hound had lifted his hand, greeting Lizard and Racoon who were entering through the windows they had used earlier, when a furious howl came from the place where the bald man with the shades lay.

Sparrow turned sluggishly just in time to see the big man flying towards him, his massive fist was glistening like the surface of rough granite. His mind went blank again, his breath hitched and he felt another adrenaline rush take over, but his legs disobeyed. The fist hit him; he felt a hard tug at his mask and an intense pain in his face. He was sent flying by the sheer force of the hit, seeing everything in slow motion, before he hit the stone wall.

´_This is ridiculous,_' he thought and than everything went black.

Hounds eyes went wide. He was exhausted, but when he saw Sparrow fly towards the wall, his body went back into autopilot as he sped to catch Sparrow. The man crashed into the wall, his white and blue mask shattered by the sheer force. Kakashi got there just in time, landing on his knees to cushion the fall. Warm blood ran over his arm and seeped into his trousers. Kakashi carefully turned him around and held his breath when he recognized who exactly hung there limply in his arms.

"Iruka."

It was barely a whisper.


	3. Chapter 3

Iruka woke up slowly; his head felt like it was splitting open and he felt sick. He opened his eyes and the bright light stung the gritty corneas. A low groan escaped him as he took in the unfamiliar surrounding.

He was in a house, lying on something that seemed to be a futon. He tried to get up, but the intense pain and vertigo held him back. His stomach clenched painfully and he felt the contents search for freedom. He grimaced and carefully rolled to the side, pulling his knees closer to his body, or at least he tried to, his right leg was tightly wrapped in bandages. He didn't know where he was and his memories of the fight were hazy.

"Are you sick?"

The voice startled him and he had problems with putting a face to the voice, but it seemed to be familiar and sounded worried. He couldn't really bring himself to leave this relatively comfortable position anyway, so he nodded, not trusting himself to open his mouth. Keeping it shut and clenching his teeth was ridiculous of course, but opening his mouth would just lead to the inevitable. His brows knit together, but even that seemed to worsen the pain.

He was gently made to sit up and guided towards a bowl. The combination of the movement, the nausea and the sight of the bowl sealed his fate - he grabbed the wooden container and heaved deeply.

When he was done, he was a shivering mess and didn't really feel any better.

"It's okay, everything will be fine. Just try to sleep some more."

Iruka gave a weak nod, already slipping back into unconsciousness.

Kakashi gently brushed a strand of hair back behind Iruka's ear and tucked him in carefully. He still couldn't believe that this warm man was Sparrow, such a fierce fighter.

The door slid open and Raidō slipped in.

"I thought I heard something." He wore only his ANBU singlet and the black pants now, leaving the burn scars that continued down to his broad shoulders on display. They hadn't had much sleep the last two days. After Raidō had summoned a swallow from a scroll with Iruka's bloodprint on it, it was just a matter of hours before the retrieval team with the medics had found them.

"Iruka woke just to throw up."

Raidō gave him a crooked smile and leant in the door way. "How nice."

"How is Genma?" Kakashi asked.

"Okay, I guess. I drugged him though."

Kakashi didn't ask why and just nodded. He felt Raidō's gaze on him and looked up again. He felt uneasy under the other's scrutiny, but didn't show it. Raidō glanced at Iruka, a fond smile creeping onto his features.

"How long have you been a team?" Kakashi ventured.

"A while. Iruka has been Sparrow for seven, almost eight years now. Genma and I were his first ANBU unit, but you know how it is. We have been excluded from the normal rotations for the past three years or so to form a permanent team."

"Wow, that's unusual."

"Yeah, I guess so. But on the other hand, when you do all the spying and infiltrating and things we do, it's better that way. And we sure don't complain"

Kakashi nodded silently and looked back down at the sleeping nin.

"Don't look like that, Kakashi. He isn't a stranger. Sandaime made him take the position as a teacher and he didn't want it in the beginning, but it's good for him. It keeps him sane and attached." Raidō folded his arms over his chest and considered Kakashi before continuing.

"You of all people should know how these things work. He is as much Sparrow as he is Iruka-sensei. The one feeding that genin of yours with ramen and getting furious when you read IchaIcha in front of kids."

Kakashi tensed. He must have been pretty obvious. Raidō's warm chuckle did nothing to relax him.

"No need to freak out. If I couldn't read someone like you, I would have been dead years ago."

Kakashi made a face under his mask and Raidō just winked. His curiosity got the better of him.

"Raidō…I shouldn't ask…"

Raidō cut in immediately. "Yeah, you shouldn't. And you know I can't tell you more than I already have, even if I would like to. But it's good to know that he made that much of an impression on you."

The other man smiled and then left, leaving a confused Kakashi behind.

Iruka woke up again, feeling much better. The dizziness was gone and the headache was down to a dull hum. He stretched, cataloguing the bandages that were wrapped around him. He still felt thoroughly battered and his throat was as dry as a desert.

He looked around and spotted a canteen standing an arm's length from him on the floor. He got up carefully and rolled his neck hearing a loud crack at the motion. A bandage still covered his head and he could tell without having to see it, that he would sport a rather impressive bruise on the right side of his face. He lifted his hand to touch it carefully. There was a slight lump under the skin and it felt uncomfortably soft under his fingertips.

"It's not too bad."

He raised his eyes and saw the sinewy figure of Kakashi leaning in the open doorway that lead out onto the balcony. Kakashi watched him, and his nerves began to tingle under the other man's scrutiny. Those accursed ANBU uniforms were designed to be as hot as hell.

Kakashi wasn't wearing his Hound mask and hitai-ate. His silver hair fell naturally around his face, which just made him even more attractive.

Iruka reached for the water bottle, but the sharp pain shooting through his shoulder stopped him from doing so. He grimaced and pulled back his arm. Kakashi was next to him in the blink of an eye, carefully steadying him.

"Careful, that bastard did a thorough job on you."

Iruka nodded. Nothing seemed to be broken, just some severe contusions; his left shoulder had been dislocated and set back into place, but he could still detect the myriad of stab wounds and cuts. He felt the heat of embarrassment; he really hated to bother others with his problems. He could get through this just fine, he always had. Yet, it felt good to accept the bottle of water from Kakashi, and take a big gulp. The cold water felt heavenly in his dry mouth.

Kakashi went on: "Shizune did what she could, but the rest needs to heal on it's own. You and Genma need more rest before we can travel back."

Iruka's brows knitted in confusion. He couldn't remember what happened. There were loose fragments of memories, but they didn't make too much sense.

"Do you remember what happened?"

He took another sip from the canteen before he tried to speak. His voice was still a little hoarse.

"I don't remember everything. I can still remember how we arrived… Crow's instructions, but after that… it's all hazy and fragmented…" He shook his head and regretted it immediately when the dull pain increased in intensity.

"It's okay, don't push yourself." Kakashi took the canteen from him. "Lie down again please. You've gone pale."

Iruka did as he was told; he didn't mind doing that at all and, despite that, Kakashi was still the ranking officer. Yet the worry in the older man's voice was somehow unnerving. Wasn't this what he had wanted to avoid?

"How is your head?"

Iruka cleared his throat before he answered.

"It's okay, I guess."

"What's your name and rank?"

Iruka cringed, that was the standard question for patients with head injuries to test their memory, but under these circumstances he couldn't help but feel that there was a deeper meaning to it now.

"Umino Iruka, ID 11850, Special Jounin, ANBU _Sparrow_."

Kakashi nodded and sat back.

Iruka watched him closely but Kakashi didn't give anything away. He took the opportunity to ask something before Kakashi got a chance to ask him something else or change the topic to something Iruka didn't want to talk about.

"How are the others?"

"We got off lightly compared to you. Crow will be okay in about a week. A retrieval team joined us. They healed us and took the prisoners with them. What about your long-term memory?"

Iruka recounted the names of his current students and added Naruto's favourite ramen and the preferred tobacco brand of the late Sandaime, just for good measure. Kakashi nodded and neither man knew what he should say anymore, so an uncomfortable silence settled in the room

Irukas mind whirled. This was all wrong. He hadn't wanted Kakashi to know that he too was ANBU; he had been happy with Kakashi believing that he was mostly harmless, keeping the loose friendship they had, while he had a secret crush on him. He hadn't wanted a relationship and Mizuki's betrayal had been the last straw. He was happy with all the loose ties he had with people in the village, anything that grew closer seemed to be destined to crumble.

Kakashi finally got up and broke the silence.

"I will see if I can find something for you to eat."

Iruka nodded numbly as he left. Who would have thought that Kakashi would ever respond to him that way? He had thought Kakashi was safe to crush on from a distance, because his notorious porn habits and his aloof demeanour had made him unapproachable and most of all straight. Iruka shook his head again. He winced when the stabbing pain reminded him that it was a bad idea. He placed a hand over his eyes and wished that he could just wake up again, and it would be just Genma or Raidō telling him off for being too careless. He smiled; somehow those were rather fond memories.

But Kakashi would be back sooner, rather than later, and all he wanted to do was hug the damned man and tell him how sorry he was, and then maybe just fall asleep on him. He groaned silently, this wouldn't do at all.

"Are you really okay? We have more painkillers if you need something."

Iruka tensed and blushed. He had missed Kakashi's return. All he wanted at this moment was for the ground to open up and swallow him whole. He flinched when he felt cool hands on his bandaged arm; instinct kicked in, but Kakashi was faster and quickly restrained him.

"Don't, you will hurt yourself. Relax, Iruka. What's wrong?"

Kakashi was too close again, carefully pinning him down, while trying not to hurt him any further; he was just… too close. Iruka swallowed hard, when Kakashi's breath met his skin.

"Kakashi..."

Their eyes met and they both held their breath. Iruka wasn't sure what he saw in that lone grey eye, he knew what he wanted to see, but it surely wasn't concern for him. Iruka's skin tingled with anticipation, their lips were just centimetres apart and then suddenly Kakashi backed away, averting his gaze.

"Sorry, did I hurt you?"

Sudden disappointment crashed down on Iruka at the loss of Kakashi's touch. Iruka rubbed at his eyes, this was ridiculous.

"No."

Kakashi nodded silently and busied himself with the tray. He cleared his throat and startled Iruka from focusing on his swirling tattoo.

"Do you want something to eat, or do you still feel queasy?"

Iruka just nodded, Kakashi helped him get up and then let him be, after making sure that Iruka could feed himself with just one arm. Kakashi leaned in the doorway again, staring out into the forest. Iruka couldn't help himself, stealing glances at Kakashi's back; he had imagined watching Kakashi like this for ages. Kakashi standing just like this in _his_ bedroom, at _his_ window, wearing _his_ favourite faded blue sweat pants and drinking coffee from one of _his_ silly dolphin mugs that his class always bought for him and having one or two love bites littering that gorgeous, pale skin. He could almost feel his own sheets under his skin at that moment and smell the familiar scent of his bedroom.

Kakashi turned around, one silver eyebrow raised and Iruka realized he had stopped eating and stared at Kakashi with an absent expression. He was mortified but couldn't take his eyes of the slowly turning form. His mind was filled with an annoying white noise that cut him off from his body, leaving his face with a blank expression.

"Iruka, are you sure you are okay?"

_´Say something, say something, say something, say something…` _but neither his brain, nor his tongue came up with any reply at all.

Kakashi furrowed his brows again and came over.

Iruka watched the pale hand being placed on his forehead, checking for a fever. Iruka's heart skipped a beat when that hand actually met his skin. He would have loved to lean into the touch and had to force himself not to follow it, when it was removed. He had dreamed of being touched by that hand too often.

"Maybe I should go. It seems I am the reason for your strange behaviour. I'm sorry; I should have kept my distance after you made it clear you didn't want to see me anymore. I'll go and see if I can find Raidō to look after you, Iruka-san."

Kakashi bowed stiffly. The distant voice cut Iruka like a knife. It seemed Iruka had finally driven Kakashi away, that had been what he wanted, but now that he seemed to have succeeded, it hurt like hell.

He wanted the other man to stay, to see what was underneath the mask; but Kakashi left the room and all Iruka could do was watch him go, because it was right. He was glad that he had enough practice in keeping a straight face despite his inner turmoil. He would not give in and show any unnecessary emotions while still on a mission and disgrace the memory of his parents with such unprofessional behaviour. It still felt like he was being strangled, but there was no way he could let Kakashi into his life.

Kakashi sat on a rooftop at the edge of Konoha, facing out towards the training fields he had just fled, because someone had approached the memorial stone. He hadn't felt like having company while he tried to sort out his feelings. He held his prized orange book casually in one hand, perched on the knee of his uninjured leg. He had found a sunny spot behind a corner that held the chilly wind off and was gazing into the distance.

The last three weeks had been a dull march of mission after mission; he had been out of the village more often than in it. In his bedroom lurked a pile of laundry he just had no time to take care of. Truth be told, he should probably just burn and replace it. Most of it would be beyond rescue anyway, since it was still caked with blood and grime of all sorts from the past few weeks.

He shifted a little and froze when a sharp pain shot up from his thigh into his spine. He clenched his teeth; maybe he shouldn't have refused the painkillers and the bed in hospital so easily, or he should have at least gone straight home to sleep. He could go back to the hospital to ask for painkillers of course, but if he accidentally ran into Shizune or Tsunade they wouldn't let him off the hook so easily.

He sighed and leaned back again, a little more carefully this time, so as not to stretch his injured leg too much. His gaze went back to the bridge over the small stream. He had sat here often, watching his team while they waited for him. He looked away, that was another topic he really didn't want to think about. Maybe he should ask for another solo S-rank mission, they kept him busy, no time to think at all. The benefit of all the missions he had done recently was that he didn't get time to dwell on other things. His brow furrowed.

He should really consider rejoining ANBU permanently. What he was doing now wasn't that much different from ANBU anyway and over the last few weeks he had been asked to fill in for quite a few missions. Taking the mask again wouldn't be that bad, and then at least he wouldn't have to put up appearances and could just sink back into the shadows where he belonged. Not that you could really quit ANBU, there was a reason the marks were tattooed.

A motion to his left attracted his attention.

A Great Tit had landed in the rain gutter. The small bird watched him for a few heartbeats before it began hopping around, turning over dry leaves on its search for bugs and spiders.

Kakashi watched it with a sad smile for a moment. Lately any kind of bird reminded him of Sparrow. And as much as he tried, he really couldn't get him out of his mind. Everything seemed to scream Iruka's name lately… mission reports, ink, pens, children, ponytails, birds, scowls, laughter, ramen, ginger, coffee, chocolate… everything.

Kakashi let out an exasperated sigh.

One more reason to go back, he was really getting soft. He still didn't know what he had done wrong, to be dumped like this, but he was determined that he wouldn't try to find out. He was actually a little glad that Iruka had responded to him in that way in the end. It had been the first time that he really wanted to be with someone, and he had been frightened by his desire to have Iruka's attention, not just for sex or a loose friendship.

He had been ready to lower his guards completely and open up to the chuunin – or rather, the tokubetsu jounin. The scary part of this was that he had been ready to trust someone who actually hid something from him and he hadn't been able to tell that there was something behind the surface at all. He had never even suspected that there would be something beneath the chuunin teacher, that there was something as important as an ANBU mask.

Kakashi placed his forehead on his knee. His mind wandered back to the mission three weeks ago. He had persuaded Lizard to let him take care of Sparrow to be able to talk to him. But Sparrow had treated him like a stranger and he hadn't dared to ask anything at all. He still remembered the moment he had pinned Iruka to the ground and how they had looked at each other. Despite being treated like a stranger, he was sure that, had he kissed Iruka then and there, he would not have been pushed away. He couldn't explain why though, maybe he had just imagined it.

It had been a bad idea from the start, but Iruka's limp body had scared him and he needed to see him breathing for at least for a little while after that. Seeing Iruka pale and bleeding had shaken him to the core. He had too many horrible memories like that already, and yet he would have taken the risk again. He still couldn't put a lid on that tight feeling in his chest, but it would be gone sooner or later, he just had to endure it for now.

He sighed and prepared himself to get up and go home to take care of the nuisance in his laundry basket, when he saw a familiar orange-clad figure walk onto the bridge and pause there for a moment staring wistfully at the water.

Kakashi eyed his ramen, listening to the familiar slurping noises Naruto made next to him while he inhaled noodles. The content smile on his face was infectious and Kakashi couldn't help but join in. A careful glance showed that no one was paying attention to him and Kakashi took the opportunity to lower his mask and make the food vanish in mere seconds like he usually did. He was masked again before anyone had a chance to catch a glimpse. His tolerance for ramen had grown ever since he had taken his genin team and reached a point where he himself would crave it every now and then. Taking Naruto along was always the perfect alibi; it was no problem at all to get Naruto to "persuade" one into buying ramen for him.

His mind drifted towards the mission again. Naruto and ramen were inevitably connected to Iruka and lately that train of thought always led to a blue and white bird mask. He chased a left-over piece of fishcake around in his bowl. He would have never thought that the fierce Sparrow would be Iruka. Kakashi leaned his jaw on his hand while he watched Naruto devour his second bowl. He wondered if Naruto knew that there was more to Iruka than he showed to them.

The boy must have felt him staring at him and turned, a curtain of dripping noodles still on his chopsticks.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Hn?"

"What is it?"

The corners of Kakashi's mouth twitched in amusement. Leave it to Naruto to get the finer meanings of communication when you least need it.

"What do you mean? I just admire your _inhaling ramen no jutsu_. If you keep up that pace, one day you will look like Choji." Kakashi decided to throw him off track as quickly as possible; one could never know what Naruto might pick up, and when he did - it was too late to hide. He crossed his arms on the counter and turned to the boy waiting for him to finish his bowl, but he knew he was still being watched.

"You are acting weird today."

"I am not weird." Kakashi didn't like the direction this conversation was taking one bit.

"Bet you are. You picked me up and you wanted to eat ramen." Naruto's bright blue eyes were fixed on him, nose scrunched up in suspicious concentration. He looked so much like his father when he did that; the familiarity of the gesture still hit Kakashi like a slap every time he saw it. But Naruto was right; he had picked him up to get ramen on his own accord this time.

"Who said I wanted to eat ramen?" He could feel Naruto's gaze still lingering on the masked half of his face. "I just ran into you on my journey back from a house where an old lady asked me to carve a _Koi _from a radish for her, because her old hands couldn't handle such delicate…"

"Okay, okay, I get it." Naruto waved with his hand and shot him a dirty look. "But seriously, why are you and Iruka-sensei so strange? I thought you got along, then he stopped talking to you and was always giving you these creepy looks, and now you both act all… uh… weird. In your case weirder than usual, that is."

Kakashi was stunned by that, he was sure that he had not been that obvious. When had he been with Iruka for Naruto to have picked that up? But, it was the number one surprising ninja he was talking about, but even given that they had barely met in the last few weeks, how Naruto could tell the difference was beyond Kakashi.

"What do you mean? I am not acting weird."

"Of course you aren't." Naruto rolled his eyes and busied himself with his bowl for a moment.

"Iruka-sensei has been tense and withdrawn," he went on to say. "He is distant and even refused to go out with these two guys… you know the one chewing on the senbon and the other one with the burn scar."

Kakashi was almost glad Naruto shifted his attention away from him, even if he didn't particularly like the way their conversation was heading now. Naruto seemed to be lost in his thoughts for a moment; if he was fast he could flee before Naruto could continue. Kakashi's hand went to his wallet - he would pay and flee, now!

He summoned a strained smile and turned to look at Naruto and met pleading cerulean eyes. The Copy-nin knew he was done for, there was no way he could deny whatever he wanted now. Kakashi was having a hard time refusing Naruto and Sakura anything, but fortunately they didn't know that.

"Kakashi-sensei, will you do me a favour?"

Kakashi lost the forced smile and turned serious. "Try me."

"Will you go and talk to Iruka-sensei? He won't talk to me, but I am sure that he will talk to you."

His mind went blank. This could be the perfect excuse to see the teacher and he had a reason to talk, but Iruka hadn't been too subtle about not wanting to talk to him. A minute change in Naruto kicked his paranoia into gear.

"Why are you asking me?"

Kakashi smirked visibly at the guilty face Naruto made. He watched the genin shift uncomfortably on his stool, eyes fixed on his chop-sticks.

"Who else should I ask? I am just a kid, he won't talk to me."

That was a valid point, but nothing to look so uncomfortable about, and Kakashi had no intentions of walking straight into disaster.

"Why do I think that is not the whole truth?"

Naruto blushed crimson and looked really uncomfortable now. Kakashi had had enough; he paid the bill and grabbed the boy with ease. He needed to interrogate him a bit more thoroughly and that was best done without witnesses… to his surprise, Naruto didn't struggle. This was getting more and more curious by the minute. He was glad when they arrived at the water tank, an area that could easily be monitored, because his leg reminded him painfully what it thought of carrying Naruto's extra weight.

Naruto still didn't protest, but checked his surroundings like a good shinobi should. Kakashi considered revealing his Sharingan and checking if this orange disaster was really Naruto or if it was just an impostor with a strange sense of humour… or Konohamaru. The boy turned and looked at him.

"Spill it, Naruto."

"As I said - he will listen if it comes from you."

Kakashi shook his head and watched the boy sternly, who met his gaze directly.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, Naruto. I think my relationship with your favourite sensei is rather troubled."

"And I think you're wrong about that." Naruto's expression shifted to guilt once more. Now Kakashi was really curious. "You know, he always cheers up when you are around. I think he will talk to you, if you just try."

"Naruto, what should I tell him? I mean, it wasn't me who saw through all this."

"I don't know… I don't know why he is so down lately. But he is so absent-minded and when he thinks no one is looking he looks so lost… I … I think, I can finally understand why he said that I was just like him back then."

Kakashi swallowed hard, Naruto's shoulders sagged and he bit his lip just like the insecure teenager he was. Kakashi knew what Naruto was talking about; he had read the report on the first Mizuki incident and had discussed it with the Hokage.

"Naruto…"

"I just can't do anything. Please, Kakashi-sensei. There is no one else I could ask."

Naruto bowed his head and squinted his eyes. Kakashi inhaled deeply and then let out a defeated sigh. A strong, gloved hand found its way onto the boy's shoulders.

"It's okay Naruto, I'll go and talk to him. I will see what I can do."

If Kakashi had been a lesser Ninja he might have been toppled over by the orange ball of energy that suddenly jumped in his arms. For once he didn't push him away immediately, but let him cling for a moment, before he pried him off.

Kakashi watched Iruka see his kids out for the break from the comfortable spot he had found right outside the classroom. He wasn't sure why he let Naruto talk him into doing this and he couldn't dismiss that it was because he actually wanted to go there himself.

Iruka took his lunch from a drawer and left the room as well. Kakashi followed him up on the rooftop where he found a spot that enabled him to look down on the yard where he could watch the kids. Iruka stretched out his limbs and sat down, finally removing his hair tie. The brown hair fell down over his shoulders while he massaged his scalp, sitting with outstretched legs on the roof without a care in the world.

"Do you have a headache sensei?"

Iruka didn't flinch, but Kakashi didn't expect him to. The Copy-nin went over to the teacher.

"Yeah." He looked up to Kakashi, shading his eyes with one hand and resting comfortably on the other. The older man couldn't stop himself from observing how the scar over Irukas nose wrinkled when he squinted his eyes against the bright sun. "What brings you here? You need something?"

Kakashi was glad that Iruka didn't seem to be hostile towards him, but he still eyed Kakashi critically as he walked around him. Sure he had seen the limp, so Kakashi could stop pretending and sit down more carefully. It was amazing to see the difference between Iruka's professional and relaxed face. Kakashi couldn't tell which of them Iruka wore like a mask, or if they were both just what he carefully created for show.

"I was just in the area, when a little fox crossed my path and told me of a bird that lost something. He is afraid that his friend the bird wouldn't talk to him, because he was just a little fox and so he asked me to come and try. He got the impression that the bird would listen to me."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. With his hair down, he didn't look his age at all, but no one would believe Kakashi that he was twenty seven if they saw him without his mask.

"Maybe the little fox should have tried... or at least not sent a scarecrow to talk to a bird. Silly, little fox."

Kakashi sat down, trying not to aggravate his leg again, so he was far from his usually graceful self. He mirrored the relaxed pose Iruka had taken, his legs spread and leaning on his hands, facing the edge of the roof where they could hear the students as they ran around the yard and played like they were normal children.

Iruka watched him take a seat. If Iruka didn't want him here, at least he didn't say so directly, but maybe it was just the worry of their little fox. Kakashi smiled and looked down at his feet.

"When did you meet him?"

"He dragged me off to get ramen half an hour ago."

Iruka smiled affectionately when he thought of Naruto.

"You have him worried for some reason."

"Obviously, when he came to ask you to come…" Iruka looked at Kakashi, his face still keeping the warm expression. Kakashi's nerves began to tingle in response and he averted his gaze, watching the children playing tag on the lawn.

"Yeah, I was surprised too."

"Why were you surprised?"

Kakashi took a peek and saw honest puzzlement on Iruka's face. He really didn't want to discuss his shortcomings when it came to his genin with Iruka, so he just shrugged. It was silent for a moment then Iruka burst into amused laughter.

"You were really surprised, weren't you?"

Kakashi felt cornered and looked back; ready to defend himself against new accusations but Iruka just shook his head and smiled.

"And? What will you say to me?"

"Actually I have no idea… I told Naruto that you probably wouldn't want to talk to me either. But he was pretty sure about it."

"And why wouldn't I want to talk to you?"

"I got the impression that I did something that made you hate my guts."

Iruka smiled thoughtfully down at his lunchbox. "No, actually I don't Kakashi. But, why did you come?"

Kakashi twitched; he had the feeling that there was a high probability that he'd say the wrong thing now. He leant back and looked at the sky. What would he do now? He really wanted to trust and he wanted Iruka do the same. He still couldn't bring himself to dismiss the attraction.

"I don't know."

He turned to look at the man, the long brown hair ruffled by the wind. Iruka's head was tilted back and his throat exposed so easily. He looked so comfortable, it was disturbing. How a chuunin could do something like that was beyond him, but how an ANBU could…

"Don't look like that," Iruka murmured. "Sparrow wouldn't do something like that, but Iruka can afford to once in a while. Especially when the Sharingan no Kakashi is here on guard."

Iruka's eyes were still closed, but despite that Kakashi looked away and blushed. He wanted Iruka, but he needed to have that trust returned. He felt strangely detached when the nervousness took hold of him. The last time he had experienced something like this was when he went to pick up his team for the first time and it had been rewarded with a chalk eraser on his head. But somehow he felt the need to drop his mask, both metaphorically and literally.

His hands acted almost on their own accord when he sat up and removed his hitai-ate, freeing the silver mane from its confines. He ruffled them so that they still would fall partially over his face. He looked at the marked and dented metal, before he set it aside with a shallow clunk. He didn't look but the sound would definitely have the intended effect.

His hand went up again and gripped his mask over his mouth like he always did and pulled it down rather unceremoniously. He heard Iruka catch his breath and was hyper aware of the fabric around his neck.

Kakashi drew his knees up, and regretted it almost instantly. The tightening of his facial muscles when the pain shot up again was plainly visible. He felt vulnerable and nervous like this, almost like the teenager he never really had been. He tried to brush it away like he usually did, but it just didn't work and he didn't dare to look at Iruka.

"Iruka, I… I have no idea why I came. I guess... I hoped that Naruto was right and I might have a chance to talk to you. Maybe that you really would trust me and tell me why you might look lost, as Naruto put it…"

His voice finally left him and he blushed. That had been blunt, but he didn't know what else to say, somehow his brain seemed to think that the truth would be the best course of action anyway. He had to suppress the urge to teleport away. He almost jumped out of his skin when something touched his shoulders. On instinct he was on his feet a second later and ready to defend himself when his leg finally gave way and he slumped down. This time, Iruka was there to catch him, and carefully guide him down again.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

Kakashi's breath was laboured but the black spots were almost gone again.

"Don't apologize, that's just the nerves."

Iruka chuckled and Kakashi couldn't just hear it, but felt it resonate in Irukas chest. It was just then that he realized that Iruka was still wrapped around him, since he was sitting almost in Iruka's lap. He tensed, which seemed to heighten Iruka's amusement even further.

"Relax, Kakashi." A hand buried itself in his hair and began to rub gently.

"You know it's true that I was lost. But actually I have been for quite some time. And I was too scared to admit, that I really would have loved you to drag me out of my hole."

Kakashi felt Iruka's breath at the shell of his ear, a hand carefully testing the waters, snaked around his waist.

"I was scared shitless and tried to get rid of you, so I wouldn't need to face the truth."

Kakashi swallowed hard, he felt incredibly light headed and was completely lost in the different sensations.

"But to say it in your words: A Sparrow was sitting on a wall feeling miserable. His friends, the Lizard and the Crow, came by and didn't even bother to ask him what happened. They repeatedly hit his head and told him he was an idiot if he turned down the Hound which he'd secretly been in love with for quite some time."

Kakashi's eyes widened and his head jerked around to look Iruka in the eye. He couldn't believe what he had heard, but Iruka didn't look like he would say "just kidding" any time soon and then burst out laughing, which would be understandable since he was sure his face must have looked hilarious right then.

Iruka was smiling at him, Kakashi cradled safely in his arms. Kakashi's mouth went dry.

"Genma called me an idiot. He said that he could understand that it is hard to move on, when you've lost people precious to you, but not to move on at all would be a waste. No one will gain anything by holding back. I needed a little time to realise he was right and gather my courage. I'm glad you came, you saved me time searching for you."

The throbbing pain in his leg was forgotten as Kakashi relaxed in Iruka's embrace, despite the tingling sensation everywhere. Kakashi's eyes were fixed on the teacher's lips as they came slowly nearer.

He closed his eyes and closed the distance on his own, too impatient to wait a single heartbeat longer. Their lips met in a sweet, almost shy kiss, revelling in the other's warmth.

Iruka closed his arms around Kakashi and pulled him closer to his own hard body.

Kakashi just let him, his arms were both trapped but he didn't mind at all.

The kiss broke for a moment just to be resumed with more need. Kakashi finally felt a tongue carefully ask for entrance and gladly parted his lips for the gentle intruder, their tongues caressing each other. He smiled into the kiss. His brain had long since melted away, rendering him defenceless to the man holding him. Iruka finally pulled away and smiled; Kakashi returned the smile completely unaware that the teacher could see it.

"And now that we have cleared this up, I think I should take you home before your leg suffers any more damage."

Kakashi chuckled, he felt pretty boneless right now. He was just about to object when a finger landed on his lips.

"No, please let me. I would like to."

"You just don't trust me to go to bed…"

Iruka grinned.

"Yes, exactly. But I really would like you in a bit better shape, when I cook dinner tonight."

Kakashi raised a silver eyebrow.

"Pushy are we?"

"Maybe a little. Did you expect coy smiles and blushes?"

"To be honest - I expected anything but lying in your arms maskless and happy."

Iruka chuckled.

"I think I can see why. Are you disappointed?"

"Are you an idiot?"

Iruka laughed before he formed the seals for the transportation jutsu, carrying _his_ boneless heap of Copy-nin into _his_ bed, and hoped that it would prevent them both from trying to run away anymore.


End file.
